In writing or in person, Wayne Flask is not the kind to bite his tongue. Mildly held opinions do not become him. 

"Nobody - nobody - in the two parties is interested in ending the planning monstrosities we're seeing around us. Nobody wants to kill the golden goose," the writer, who describes the Planning Authority as a "rubber-stamping organisation," says.  

The writer and satirist also has it in for some of the more vociferous activists who have come to dominate Malta's civil society landscape. 

"If you want to talk about rule of law, how can you promote speakers who made money from offshore setups?" he asks in a broadside aimed at both the Civil Society Network and former political operative-turned-blogger Manuel Delia. 

Mr Flask, whose recently-published novel Kapitali is as overtly political as they come, does not pull any punches in this Times Talk interview. 

He accuses Mr Delia of hypocrisy, saying he previously worked for a mining firm with its ultimate beneficial ownership registered offshore, in the West Indies Turks and Caicos Islands. 

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"It's a question of consistency," he says, arguing that Malta is in the international spotlight precisely because of its taxation system. 

"I can't rely on people who send out messages calling for the rule of law but also made their money from offshore setups. It's completely unethical." 

Mr Flask, who also has little time for the Civil Society Network or its front man Michael Briguglio - a "self-appointed leader" - says that any constitutional reform will be doomed unless it involves scrapping electoral districts. 

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"With this setup, no third party can ever break through. Let's get rid of this idea that we can go to the family doctor for a favour, because he's with one of the two big parties." 

Watch the full interview in the video above. 

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